Just a few minutes ago, Steven Sinofsky announced at Microsoft’s annual sales meeting that customers will be able to get Windows 8 – whether in upgrade fashion or on a new PC – starting on October 26th.

Despite my well-established distaste for Windows Phone 7, I remain eager to experiment with the touch-enabled Windows 8 experience. The Surface strikes me as a particularly fascinating device, and I’m thoroughly keen to put it through its paces.

Speaking of the Surface, I would imagine its controversial release date and pricing will now manifest in relatively short order.